LEADER 03797nam 2200433 a 450 001 9910792016003321 005 20240102235710.0 010 $a0-300-19524-9 010 $a9780300195248 (electronic book) 035 $a(CKB)2560000000102352 035 $a(EXLCZ)992560000000102352 100 $a20221227d2013 my 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent. 182 $cc$2rdamedia. 183 $acr$2rdacarrier. 200 14$aThe men who lost America $eBritish leadership, the American Revolution, and the fate of the empire /$fAndrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy 210 1$aNew Haven, Connecticut :$cYale University Press,$d2013. 210 4$dİ2013 215 $a1 online resource (xiv, 466 pages) $cillustrations, plates (colour) 225 1 $aLewis Walpole series in eighteenth-century culture and history 300 $aPublished in the United Kingdom by Oneworld Publications under the title: The men who lost America : British command during the Revolutionary War and the preservation of the empire. 311 1 $a0-300-19107-3 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $aPart I. The view from London. "The tyrant": George III ; The prime minister: Lord North -- Part II. Victory and defeat in the north (1776-1778). The peace commissioners?: the Howe brothers ; "The old gamester": John Burgoyne ; "The Achilles of the American war": Lord George Germain -- Part III. Victory and defeat in the south (1778-1781). "The scapegoat": Sir Henry Clinton ; "Bagging the fox": Charles, Earl Cornwallis -- Part IV. Victory against France and Spain (1782). "Saint George": Sir George Rodney ; "Jemmy Twitcher": The Earl of Sandwich -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index - Colour plates follow page 178. 330 $aThe loss of America was a stunning and unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire. Common wisdom has held that incompetent military commanders and political leaders in Britain must have been to blame, but were they? This intriguing book makes a different argument. Weaving together the personal stories of ten prominent men who directed the British dimension of the war, historian Andrew O'Shaughnessy dispels the incompetence myth and uncovers the real reasons that rebellious colonials were able to achieve their surprising victory. In interlinked biographical chapters, the author follows the course of the war from the perspectives of King George III, Prime Minister Lord North, military leaders including General Burgoyne, the Earl of Sandwich, and others who, for the most part, led ably and even brilliantly. Victories were frequent, and in fact the British conquered every American city at some stage of the Revolutionary War. Yet roiling political complexities at home, combined with the fervency of the fighting Americans, proved fatal to the British war effort. The book concludes with a penetrating assessment of the years after Yorktown, when the British achieved victories against the French and Spanish, thereby keeping intact what remained of the British Empire.--$cProvided by publisher. 410 0$aThe Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History. 606 $aNapoleonic Wars, 1800-1815$xParticipation, British 607 $aGreat Britain$xArmy$xHistory$yRevolution, 1775-1783 607 $aGreat Britain$xPolitics and government$y1760-1820 607 $aUnited States$xHistory$yRevolution, 1775-1783$xBritish forces 607 $aUnited States$xHistory$xRevolution, 1775-1783$xCampaigns 615 0$aNapoleonic Wars, 1800-1815$xParticipation, British. 700 $aO'Shaughnessy$b Andrew Jackson$01492458 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910792016003321 996 $aThe men who lost America$93789577 997 $aUNINA